Having lost his parliamentary majority in last month’s elections, and after President Isaac Herzog handed Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a government, Netanyahu has continued a campaign he pursued throughout the election season to delegitimize the Arab parties and portray them as supporters of terrorism, in an apparent effort to undermine the ability of Eisenkot and his allies to form a government with their backing.
Archiv: Ra´am (United Arab List) / member of first Joint List / abandoned alliance and joined Bennet-Lapid government in 2021
Israel‘s former chief of staff Eisenkot in strong position to replace Netanyahu as new PM
Gadi Eisenkot was chosen by the leaders of six parties, representing a majority of seats in the Knesset, as the most legitimate candidate to form a new government. President Isaac Herzog is expected to announce his decision on Sunday.
CPI and Hadash After the Elections: Strengthen the Jewish-Arab Partnership Against Fascism
The Democrats Chairman Yair Golan met this morning (Tuesday, November 3) with Joint List Chairman Yousef Jabareen and Ta’al Chairman Ahmad Tibi, before the meeting of the “change bloc” leaders of the Zionist opposition took place Following its conclusion, Golan met with “Yashar” Chairman Gadi Eisenkot, “Beyachad” Chairman Naftali Bennett, and “Yisrael Beytenu” Chairman Avigdor Lieberman.
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Yesterday, all the newly elected Members of Knesset from the Joint List met for the first time. Additionally, a meeting was held between representatives of the Joint List and representatives of the Islamic Ra’am party, led by Mansour Abbas. A statement released at the conclusion of the meeting read, “Both sides exchanged views on the political developments following the elections and discussed the need to deepen cooperation in order to confront the new challenges and work toward bringing down the fascist right from power.”
Nach Parlamentswahl in Israel: Demos für Einbindung der arabischen Parteien
Entscheidend könnten nun also die arabischen Listen werden: Die sicherten sich bei der Parlamentswahl zusammen 19 Sitze – so viele wie noch nie. „67 Mandate für Veränderung“ war auch einer der Slogans der Demonstrierenden – denn ein Bündnis von Eisenkots Block mit den israelisch-arabischen Parteien käme auf 67 Abgeordnete.
Thousands rally in Israel urging ‘Jewish-Arab’ coalition to oust Netanyahu
Thousands of people have rallied in Tel Aviv to urge the Israeli opposition to make a deal with Arab parties to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Protesters at Saturday’s rally told the AFP news agency this may be the “last chance for real change” and that Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is a “great manipulator”.
Golan says United Arab List could be part of government coalition
Leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, has said that the United Arab List could be part of the governing coalition in Israel, if the opposition bloc manages to oust Netanyahu.
“Mansour Abbas [leader of the United Arab List] could be part of the next coalition. I see no issue with that. After all, Netanyahu himself wanted him in a coalition,” Golan told Israel’s Channel 12.
As Netanyahu falls short of majority, his party claims polls ‚stolen‘ by Arab parties
The Central Elections Committee‘s preliminary results put Netanyahu‘s bloc at 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, against 48 for the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. The Arab-led Ra‘am and Joint List parties are projected to win a combined 19 seats. At least 61 seats are required for a majority.
Arab parties Ra‘am, Joint List rise to 19 seats amid high turnout, election polling data shows
With about 85% of the vote counted as of Wednesday afternoon, the Central Elections Committee‘s official results released Wednesday projected Israel‘s two main Arab parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, to win seven and 12 seats, respectively.
Arab Israeli voters are essential to Israel’s democratic future – opinion
Therefore, we all – proud Jewish Zionist Israelis included – must encourage this part of the population – full citizens of the Jewish State of Israel – to exercise not only their lawful right to vote but their lawful right to sit in the Knesset, be in the governing coalition, and serve as government ministers. And we must accept them with open arms when they “flock” to do so.
This is the only viable, sustainable, and livable future for this country.
To bring down Netanyahu, Arab-Israeli parties ready for opposition alliance
Raam, a Hebrew acronym for United Arab List, is a moderate Islamist party headed by Mansour Abbas. In 2021, he agreed to join a short-lived coalition of Netanyahu’s opponents, making Raam the first Arab party to join an Israeli government.
The far-left Joint List, led by Yousef Jabareen, brings together three parties with a mixture of communist and Palestinian nationalist leanings.
Abbas and Jabareen told AFP they were ready — under certain conditions — to cooperate with the opposition, particularly the bloc of Netanyahu’s main rival Gadi Eisenkot, which is polling neck and neck with the premier’s.
50 shades of right: An Israeli election primer
Paradoxically, it is the Joint List and the Islamist party Ra’am that hold the key to the opposition’s chances of dethroning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The polls could not be clearer: Without these Arab parties, the anti-Netanyahu bloc will not reach the 61 mandates required for a Knesset majority. With their support, it could topple Netanyahu — whose own bloc of loyalists looks set to fall significantly short of a majority — virtually overnight.
Two small Arab parties may decide Israel’s election
There are about 2.1 million Arab-Israelis, making up roughly 21% of the country’s population. Their interests tend to be represented by Ra’am and the Joint List, both of which have played a more prominent role in Israeli politics in recent years.
In the aftermath of the 2021 election, the Ra‘am party leader, Mansour Abbas, joined with opposition leaders from across the political spectrum to unseat Netanyahu. This made Ra’am the first independent Arab party to join an Israeli coalition.
Naftali Bennett’s government collapsed after one year, opening the door for Netanyahu to return.
A look at the major candidates in Israel’s election Tuesday
Three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, Israeli voters will decide next Tuesday whether to grant Benjamin Netanyahu yet another term as prime minister — or usher in a new era of Israeli politics.
Polling suggests a tight race between Netanyahu, leader of the nationalist Likud party, and his chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the centrist Yashar!, for control of the government.
Netanyahu’s far-right coalition on course to lose majority in Israeli elections, new poll suggests
“Israel’s election is not a single game, but a tournament — and election day is only the opening round,” Dr Nimrod Nir of Agam Labs told The Independent.
“Our polling suggests that neither bloc is likely to secure a governing majority, leaving three possible outcomes: a unity government bringing Netanyahu together with more liberal parties, an alternative coalition backed by Arab parties, or yet another election.
Day after meeting opposition chiefs, Golan says Arab parties could be in next government
(September 27, 2026)
Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party, said Sunday that an Arab party could be part of the next government, exposing a fault line among opposition leaders less than a day after they met to coordinate their campaigns and pledged not to attack one another ahead of the October 27 election.
“We believe that an Arab party can be part of the government. It is natural, right, appropriate and democratic,” Golan told the Kan public broadcaster.
Poll: Arab parties reach record high of 15 Knesset seats
(October 19, 2026)
One of the most notable findings in the poll is the combined strength of the Arab parties. The Joint List, with nine seats, and Ra‘am, with five, together reach 14 seats.
In this poll, the Amcha Yisrael party and the Reservists-Economic list fail to cross the electoral threshold.
In the Channel 13 News poll, the Arab parties reach a record 15 seats.
Israel’s Arab parties could be the kingmakers in its election
They are eager to change the government
Israel’s 2026 election: Who are the main leaders and where do they stand on the key issues?
These are the main candidates and their parties.
Poll: 8 seats for the Joint List and a single seat separating the camps of Eizenkot and Netanyahu
The camp of Zionist parties opposing Netanyahu is projected to secure 52 seats, compared to 51 seats for Netanyahu‘s camp, along with the four seats that the Handel-Zelicha alliance is expected to obtain, which has yet to announce which camp it will join.
As for Arab representation, represented by the two Arab lists; the Triangular Joint List, which includes the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, the National Democratic Assembly, and the Arab Movement for Change, and the United List, together they are projected to obtain 13 seats, with 8 for the Joint List and 5 for the United List.
Netanyahu’s Electoral Strategy: Deadlock
(October 2, 2026)
An AI-generated Likud campaign video, which Netanyahu himself has shared, shows Eisenkot running toward a young man wearing an “Israeli unity” shirt who resembles his son Gal, who was killed in the Gaza war. At the last moment, the young man turns away from Eisenkot to embrace Mansour Abbas, the leader of the United Arab List (Ra’am). Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has similarly said that “Eisenkot has no coalition without Abbas.” Such messages target so-called soft-right voters who might otherwise drift toward Eisenkot.
Israeli Supreme Court overturns Joint List, Ra‘am, Cassif election ban
(October 2, 2026)
In a decision announced on Friday, the court allowed the Joint-List—consisting of Hadash, Ta‘al and Balad – alongside Ra‘am, as well as Hadash MK Ofer Cassif, to run in the upcoming election set for 27 October.
Election 2026: Lazar Research (Panel4All) poll
Published Sep 25, 2026 · 32 days before the election
120 seats
Right-religious bloc 49
Center-opposition bloc 55
Non-aligned 4
Arab parties 12
Yashar (Eisenkot) 22
Likud 18
Together (Bennett-Lapid) 13
The Democrats 11
Otzma Yehudit 9
Yisrael Beytenu 9
Joint List (Hadash-Ta‘al-Balad) 7
Shas 6
United Torah Judaism 6
Religious Zionism-Zehut 6
Ra‘am 5
People of Israel (Winter) 4
Reservists-Economic (Hendel-Zelekha) 4
Israel bans Arab parties from election: Who they are, why it matters
(September 26, 2026)
Israel’s Central Elections Committee has voted to bar the country’s two main Arab-majority political lists from next month’s parliamentary election, potentially leaving Palestinian citizens of Israel without their principal representatives in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
The committee also voted to disqualify Ofer Cassif, a Jewish politician from the Arab-Jewish Hadash party, and Sami Abu Shehadeh, the leader of the Palestinian nationalist Balad party.
Israeli election authorities ban all Arab parties from running in upcoming Knesset poll
Israel‘s Central Elections Committee (CEC) has barred all of the country’s Arab parties from running in the Knesset elections in October.
The committee, which is made up of representatives from major political parties, including MKs, voted to exclude the entire Joint List, which is made up of the Balad, Hadash, and Ta’al parties, as well as the Ra’am party.
Joint List Factions Ready to Form Alliance of Independent Parties Ahead of Elections.
According to Jabareen, “The dissolution of the Joint List in 2021 was a severe mistake that cost the Arab public political power and influence. Today, everyone understands this.” He added that despite ideological gaps with Ra’am, “The price of running separately will be unbearable—a drop in voter turnout and the continuation of the far-right rule.” He also emphasized that intensive talks are underway to reach agreements: “We are doing everything we can to bring hope back to our public.”
Representatives from Hadash and two Arab partiers, Balad, and Ta’al held a joint meeting last night to accelerate the reunification of the Joint List and remove obstacles toward an agreement. The three parties emphasized their consensus on core political issues and highlighted the importance of ongoing political and parliamentary coordination after the elections.
In a joint statement, the parties declared: “We would like Ra’am to be a partner in the political agreement, but we are aware of the significant gaps between our positions regarding the character and path of the Joint List. Nevertheless, recognizing the importance of unity against existential threats, the parties expressed willingness to reach an agreement with Ra’am based on a ‘technical joint list’ for the elections, aiming to raise voter turnout, strengthen Arab representation, and topple the far-right government.”
Arab parties meeting to discuss reuniting into Joint List bloc
Last month, the Hadash party announced that it would promote direct dialogue with other Arab parties to explore the revival of the Joint List, which at its peak in 2015 and 2020 became the third-largest bloc in the Knesset and briefly held kingmaker influence.
The Hadash source said that several discussions have since taken place but that Monday’s was the first to be publicized, signaling “momentum.”
The bloc split due to internal fighting in 2021 when Mansour Abbas’s Islamist United Arab List (Ra’am) broke away and it collapsed the following year ahead of the 2022 election.
Arab parties clash over delayed Joint List agreement, but deny breakdown in talks
(April 5, 2026)
While acknowledging that there was a “heated meeting,” the source added that “such disagreements are natural” and said that another meeting will take place in the coming weeks.
MK Odeh: Will do Everything to Prevent Smotrich-Netanyahu-Ben Gvir from Continuing in Power
Smotrich’s comments drew immediate condemnation from the opposition, with Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas asserting that “human life holds no value in his eyes”. MK Ayman Odeh, the chairman of Hadash-Ta’al parliamentary faction, also slammed Smotrich, declaring on X that “what the racists and Kahanists say is not important, what matters is what we will do.” “And we, the Arab citizens, together with the democratic Jews, will do everything, simply everything, to prevent Smotrich-Netanyahu-Ben Gvir from continuing to another term,” Odeh wrote.
Smotrich: Including Arab party in government ‘a thousand times’ worse than Oct. 7 failures
(May 5, 2026)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sparked an uproar on Tuesday when he asserted that former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s decision to include the Islamist Ra’am party in his 2021-2022 government was far worse than the governmental failures tied to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught — the worst attack on civilians in Israeli history, which saw some 1,200 people murdered and 251 taken hostage, and which led to a multi-front war in which some 900 others have been killed.
Smotrich’s comments drew immediate condemnation from the opposition, with Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas asserting that “human life holds no value in [his] eyes” and Bennett accusing the finance minister, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of “trying with all their might to make people forget the atrocities that occurred on their watch.”